WARP FACTOR

Were you there? Were you never there? Either way, come with us back to the ‘60’s, to the days when so many different types of music were exploding onto the scene - where every new day brought new sounds and looks, new adventures…These were the days when music seemed to mean so much more! These were the days when music seemed to float on the air everywhere you went in this city of Edmonton and literally all around the world. Music seemed, in those days, to have the power to uplift, transport and perhaps even transform all of us. In this instant gratification, result-driven world we can easily forget the sheer joy that was OUR musical world back then. And we all shared that feeling. Come with us while we explore those moments again…it's the Time of the Season….again!!

“These guys ARE the '60's. Been there; felt the vibe; captured the sound”

Kenny’s drumming history began in 1966 when he and his brother Larry started “The Warp Factor”, Larry played lead guitar at the time and Paul Winterton was their manager. Besides playing community halls, school dances, arena light shows and summer festivals, Warp Factor had opening spot on several concerts with touring bands from Britain including The Who, Cream, Led Zeppelin and others. Ron Rault and Steve Palmer replaced Bob Walker and Al Dunbar until the Band split up in 1970.

During the 70’s Kenny played with Edmonton bands Shame Tree, Privilege, Powerglide which morphed into the Fifth Avenue Allstars.

!981 to 1983 he was with the Rault Brothers until moving to Vancouver in 1983 and joining Hans Stamer and the R&B Allstars. He was also welcomed into the various Vancouver Recording Studios working with producers Bruce Fairbairn, Bob Rock, Brian MacLeod and others.

In 1992 after his Dad passed away, he went back to Edmonton to visit his Mom and got a call to play a Show at Stage West which changed to The Mayfield Dinner Theatre and stayed in the drum chair until 2006. Kenny (and wife) moved back to Edmonton in 2023.

Larry Chalmers was lead guitarist as well as leader of Warp Factor in the ‘60’s. By 1970, after several personnel changes in the band, Larry travelled abroad and when he came back started a highly successful construction company from where he recently retired. Having a lifelong love of music and having gone through some personal injury to his hand, he took up playing the bass and has showed the same expertise and diligence to the instrument as he did to the lead guitar. Now he's back, helping Warp Factor renew their love of the music of the ‘60’s.

When assessing or taking stock of a career that has criss-
crossed continents, time zones, and musical genres, been
piloted by multiple job descriptions and titles, and informed by
a rather impressive skill set, it can be a difficult task culling all
the highlights from what has been a particularly impressive run
in a particularly demanding business.
From his home base of Edmonton, the city he’s called
home for the last decade, take a glance at the list of projects he’s worked on since the mid-
seventies, from studio sessions in Toronto with a young
Anne Murray on to heady recording dates
with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Roseanne Cash.
He was part of Brian Ahern’s team in both Toronto and Los
Angeles in the days of big budget major label deals and many of
those artistic endeavours in the seventies have proven to be
timeless and classic recordings.
Holger Petersen, the artistic driving force and founder of what
was the Edmonton-based Stony Plain Records, is a long-time
admirer and fan of Wilkinson’s work. The executive producer
has tapped the engineer/producer for a number of sessions
over the years, including Long John Baldry’s 1997 Juno Award
winning Right to Sing The Blues album and Wilkinson also
remastered the tracks found on Jeff Healey’s The Best of the
Stony Plain Years.
“Miles is one of my favorite engineers and producers to work
with. He brings incredible skills, creative ideas, patience, a
deep understanding of music and a great attitude to each
project. We are so fortunate to have someone with so much
experience on the Alberta music scene,” says Petersen,
Canada’s blues guru. It’s been quite the journey and the good news is, there are
more chapters to write.

For over 50 years now, Percy Marshall is and has been first-call guitarist for several bands in Edmonton and western Canada. If you have been a fan of the local music scene you have undoubtedly seen Percy on literally every bandstand and local concert in this town! Percy is also first-call at recording studios all over Alberta. He can be heard with so many different artists. The list goes on forever - The Nomads/ The Classics/Barry Allen and the New Rebels, Rusty Reed, Rault Brothers Band, Front Porch Roots Revue and so many more….